The larva of the petroleum fly Psilopa petrolei lives in the pools of crude oil –

which seeps from the ground in oil fields.

The larva’s skin and the intestinal lining are specially adapted to withstand the oil –

which permanently fills its gut and surrounds it body!

These would kill most other forms of life.

It feeds on the other insects which get trapped in the oil.

The larva which lives submerged in the oil rises to the surface when

it is fully gown in order to undergo metamorphosis and become an adult fly.

When the transformation is complete, the fly takes off in the air but

it lays its eggs in the pool of oil to start the cycle again.